Ford Explorers to be federally investigated after reports of exhaust leaks

1.3 million Ford Explorers are now under federal investigation after some police said their vehicles were leaking exhaust fumes into their cabin, causing officers to suffer from carbon monoxide poisoning.

The federal investigation into Ford Explorer exhaust leaks now have more law enforcement agencies across the nation taking precautions to protect their officers.

The Austin, Texas Police Department has pulled nearly 400 Explorers off the streets and several other departments are now installing carbon monoxide detectors in cruisers.

Locally, ABC-7 has confirmed that Fort Myers Police, Cape Coral Police, Lee County Sheriffs, and Collier County Sheriffs all use the Ford Explorers from the model years in question.

To our knowledge, they're not doing anything proactively to address the issue.

Fort Myers Police have 28 Ford Explorers in their fleet.

Cape Coral has at least 29.

The Lee County Sheriffs Office has 99 Ford Explorers.

The Collier County Sheriffs Office has 123 Ford Explorers.

ABC-7 reached out to local police departments to see what they're doing to address the issue.

Cape Coral did not respond to our request for comment.

Fort Myers Police said, "Yes FMPD has Ford Explorers but we have had no reported problems with them and have not taken any off the street. We've been ask several times about this topic and prefer to leave it in the hands of federal investigators."

The Lee County Sheriff's Office said, "We have received no complaints."

The Collier County Sheriff's Office said, "The Collier County Sheriff's Office has not encountered any issues/complaints involving carbon monoxide."

In a statement, Ford says it has not found elevated levels of carbon monoxide in regular Ford Explorers.

But the company says it is working with local police departments which drive the specially-modified SUV's.

Ford says it will cover the cost of repairs for any vehicle with carbon monoxide concerns.